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Indian Super League franchise NorthEast United FC are in close talks to retain midfielder Rowllin Borges and goalkeeper Rehenesh TP ahead of the upcoming season.
A few members of the coaching staff are not said to be keen on retaining Rehenesh, going by his recent poor run of form in the 2017-18 season of the ISL. However, officials at the club are said to be willing to retain the Keralite goalkeeper, along with national team midfielder Borges, Sportskeeda has learnt.
Borges, a goa-born midfielder plied his trade for the now defunct Sporting Clube de Goa as part of the I-League from 2011 until he was snapped up by NorthEast United FC for the 2016 season of the Indian Super League, a year after he made his international debut for India.
In the 16 games, he played for the club this season, Borges failed to score a single goal but played an important part in the midfield, which could have prompted the club to strategize his retention ahead of the next season.
On the other hand, having represented the club for five years now, goalkeeper TP Rehenesh endured a lacklustre season in goal, managing just a couple of clean sheets from the 17 games he featured in. While retaining Rehenesh seems to be part of the plan, it remains to be seen if he will indeed pen a new deal with the club.
While the club's management is said to have preferred Rehenesh's retention owing to financial issues, his poor performances in the season have not gone too well with the coaching staff.
After a torrid 2017-18 ISL season, the club will have a lot of homework to do in order to scout untapped talents that can represent their team in the next season.
It is unclear as to how the management will go about shaping their squad ahead of the next season. These retentions, if they do happen, will undoubtedly have a major impact on the team's overall performance as well. How NorthEast United go about this job remains to be seen.
